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iPad mini Inclined to buy ... the iPad mini
- Thread starter grandM
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That is highly subjective and really comes down to how an individual perceives color.
For me, black bezels are better. I've owned a white bezel ipad (iPad 2) and found that it was too distracting. The white bezels seem to produce more glare than the black. When watching videos, the black bezels help blend in with the letterboxing that usually happens. With white bezels, there is a harsh border and it feels less immersive.
Another annoyance with the white bezels is that there is a thin black frame between the bezels and the active part of the screen. This prevents it from being seamless when looking at screens/documents with a white background.
But like I said before, it is highly subjective.
Black for sure. My previous iPad was in Rose Gold, and I regretted that it only came with the white bezel. Black makes it look much more seamless.
I was going to wait until this past Tuesday's reveal to see if Apple would spec bump the base iPad. But over last weekend I began comparing the specs of the 5th gen iPad Mini to the base iPad. Between the laminated display on the Mini and it's powerhouse A12 processor, not to mention it's size, I chose to make the move and ordered the 5th gen Mini. It arrived Monday and I have been exceptionally happy with it, especially the speed.
For what it's worth, I am stepping up from a 2016 iPad Pro 9.7
I chose the 256gb size as Apple fails to offer that in the base iPad.
Having been a previous iPad Mini 2nd gen owner, I already knew the form factor and was comfortable with that.
No regrets here. Admittedly the iPad Mini is not a mainstream product, it's a niche product. But it's a niche that quite a few people are quite fanatical and happy about.
For what it's worth, I am stepping up from a 2016 iPad Pro 9.7
I chose the 256gb size as Apple fails to offer that in the base iPad.
Having been a previous iPad Mini 2nd gen owner, I already knew the form factor and was comfortable with that.
No regrets here. Admittedly the iPad Mini is not a mainstream product, it's a niche product. But it's a niche that quite a few people are quite fanatical and happy about.
It would be funny if they called it something like Mini Plus or Mini Max. I don’t see them giving it all the Pro features, particularly quad speakers. I think I read somewhere that it’s too difficult for Apple to implement quad speakers on that small of a tablet. To me, it seems like Apple is generally reluctant to go all out with the Mini, since they have to miniaturize everything for it to an extent. But it could also be like you say, it’s not necessarily designed for the masses, so that’s why they hold it back more.
Apropos of nothing, my wife and I finally bit the bullet on upgrading our Mini 2s to Mini 5s and will pick them up today from our local Apple Store. I'm a huge fan of the Mini over the full size iPad for ease of holding, and travel compactness.
£100 in the UK. The Mini 6 probably will if it gets the same redesign, but the existence of a Mini 6 should bring the Mini 5 down in price for as long as it remains available (and increase the availability of refurbs as users upgrade.)
The iPad mini 5 is a great tablet. I really enjoyed using mine when I had it.
Yeah, I waited for an announcement of the Mini during the event no matter how slim the chances, and then ended up getting a reconditoned cellular Mini 5. I don't see the 6 getting released for another 6 months and out of an iPad for a year, it's been itching me. The Mini is fantastic to put in a pocket and more practical than an iPhone for many uses.
I think if the Mini 6 had come with the 8.5” screen that Kuo predicted for the Mini next year, in the same colour options as the Air 4, I’d have picked one up. Now I’m thinking, as a cellular buyer, shouldn’t I wait until 5G trickles down into the Mini unless the Mini 5 breaks once my AC+ is up. If they change the colours for the 7 (if there ever is one) I can always pick up a refurb. I don’t want 5G as such but it would be future proofing...
Decisions, decisions...
Decisions, decisions...
Designwise I feel the rose and grey look better
Many people however say black is better as front
Sighs
Many people however say black is better as front
Sighs
The Mini 6 doesn’t exist yet. I’m not following your decision-making here.
For all we know, the Mini 6 could be 8.5” with the same color options next Spring. If that happens, I’m there. If not, I don’t know what I’ll do.
Maybe they’ll update the iPad Pros in the Spring and still offer a size smaller than the 12.9” version. I could see them increasing the screen size of the smaller Pro again. Went from 9.7 to 10.5 to 11. Maybe 11.5 or something now. The Pros are appealing for their quad speakers, ProMotion and increased RAM.
Not sure how appealing the lineup is to me right now. I love my Mini 5, but I’d like to at least feel like there’s another iPad out there I could upgrade to next. The closest choice I feel I have is the announced Air. I like a lot about it, but at its size, I do wonder how convenient the new placement of Touch ID will be. On the Mini, I could see the redesigned Touch ID being a lot easier to use.
I’d get a Pro for the added performance, but it’s technically a chip from the same year as my current iPad. That doesn’t feel like a smart purchase, so that makes me want to either wait for a new Mini with A14 or a new Pro with A14X.
I know it’s probably pointless to get hung up on the year of the chip, since iPadOS supports devices dating back as far as 2014, but it’s something I consider in my purchase. I didn’t consider the chip all that much when I bought the Mini 4 in early 2018, which had a 2014 chip powering it. On iOS 11, it was sluggish, unless I turned Motion off. Once iOS 12 came out, everything felt smoother even with Motion on. But I didn’t like the feeling that my device was on the edge of being obsolete.
Obviously the Mini 5 is nowhere near the point of being obsolete, but it is now equal in performance to the base iPad, so that cheapens it a little IMO. It doesn’t even have more RAM than the base iPad. The only advantages it has over the base iPad is a laminated (higher resolution) TrueTone display with P3 Wide Color, a 7MP front camera, second generation Touch ID and higher storage options.
Anyways, I just wish Apple could update its lineup all at once, instead of staggering it like they do. They’re not unique in that regard. Samsung does it too. I guess it’s just the way companies work. Oh well. Patience is a virtue, I suppose.
Just that if the Mini and the Air had updated at the same time again, I’d have impulse upgraded almost. Now that we have another 6+ month wait, I’m putting more thought into it.
As I was left disappointed by the lack of a Mini despite not expecting one, I guess I must also feel that it has been cheapened a little. The 7th Gen iPad has been succeeded despite being released 6 months later than the Mini. By letting the Air go ahead of the Mini and the base close in on it, it feels like they’ve shown which one they consider it to be closer to, and that doesn’t bode well for those that favour something smaller than 9.7” (or even 9.7” itself now that that has gained half an inch.)
Possible I suppose that the delay is due to new accessories needing to be designed for the Mini, where the Air could just use the ones for the Pro 11”, but I doubt it.
I highly doubt accessories have anything to do with it.
Most likely, mid-size iPads are just better sellers hence higher priority. If I were in the market for the size, the iPad mini is one I would jump on immediately upon release. Considering Apple was content to let 4 years pass before releasing an update to the mini 4, who knows how long it will take them to release an update to the mini 5.
This is a rightful concern. The mini its price makes sense. 64 GB storage, laminated, etc
If the mini were to upgrade it be to make the line-up consistent design wise.
It looks as Touch ID will stay on the mini. The new placement seems a drawback.
And if it upgrades I fear it will come at a higher price tag.
The air got 100 USD and even 120 euro more expensive.
If the mini were to upgrade it be to make the line-up consistent design wise.
It looks as Touch ID will stay on the mini. The new placement seems a drawback.
And if it upgrades I fear it will come at a higher price tag.
The air got 100 USD and even 120 euro more expensive.
When you put it that way, I get your thinking.
Apple should know better than to announce something without also announcing exactly when you can buy it. They may as well announce next year’s iPad Pros while they’re at it. Of course, they won’t go that far, since that would just incentivize consumers to wait for them and not buy the current models this upcoming holiday season.
I hate that we’re only speculating that a new Mini is on the horizon. For all we know, it’s been postponed indefinitely behind the scenes. We might not see a Mini 6 until 2022. After all, the Mini 5 was released alongside the Air 3. This time, they refreshed the base iPad alongside the Air 4, even though it’s been only about a year since the last base iPad release.
I wish Apple could at least be consistent with their intervals between releases. The Mini 3 was almost an afterthought, but at least they did something instead of just putting a two year gap between releases. Granted, if they released a Mini 6 with no internal update and only one new feature, like a 12MP rear camera, but nothing else, I wouldn’t be interested in it at all.
They did release the Mini 4 alongside the first iPad Pro, so perhaps they plan to refresh the Mini alongside next year’s Pros. We shall see.
I am tempted as well. I have an iPad Pro 11 (2018) and I’ve read a handful of books on it already but I can’t use this thing with one hand. It is tempting to get a Mini 5 just so that I can read one handed if I want to, but dropping $400+ just for that convenience is not something I can easily justify.
Doesn’t mean I don’t want one. I know the text on the iPad Pro 11 is ASTOUNDING and when I had a Mini 5 last year I found the text difficult to read and small. Grass is always greener on the other side, and more devices = not a good thing.
Reading on the iPad Pro 11 (2018) has been a huge change for me. I can read for 5 hours+ and get no strain. This is my most used device, ever.
Doesn’t mean I don’t want one. I know the text on the iPad Pro 11 is ASTOUNDING and when I had a Mini 5 last year I found the text difficult to read and small. Grass is always greener on the other side, and more devices = not a good thing.
Reading on the iPad Pro 11 (2018) has been a huge change for me. I can read for 5 hours+ and get no strain. This is my most used device, ever.
Probably when you compare it to a full-size iPad screen. I use a 9.7” at work and the Mini at home. I don’t think I’d be happy with the Mini at work. I have a satchel to store the iPad at work, so I’m not always carrying it, but the screen size is welcome when it comes to productivity tasks.
I mostly just surf the web and play games on my Mini. If that’s what you’re using it for, it’s perfect. If I was extensively reading books, writing papers, editing videos, etc, I’d strongly consider a larger display. Watching feature-length movies is also nicer on a larger display, but I find short spurts of TV shows to be pleasing. The Mini is the ultimate casual tablet due to its portability and lightness. It’s very spontaneous. You could obviously do all of the above. It’s a very capable device, although it might be a little more tedious to do on a 7.9” display compared to a 10.2-12.9 display.
The phone is nonexistent in my book. It’s for calling, texting and emails mostly. So anyone who says a Mini is pointless when you already have a large phone hasn’t truly used a Mini. Not that I’m saying anyone here has said that.